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A site dedicated to discussing a variety of action & martial arts film entertainment. The written and expressive work of the author(s) of Film Combat Syndicate is/are protected by Copyright Law. To send us scoops or share your inquiries, email us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com.

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Well, my weekend wasn't much of one, save for a few anime breaks on Netflix. Most of my time was spent either at work or posting reviews here on the blog on top of prepping at least two interviews, one that will likely post sometime this week.

For those of you waiting on Saban's Power Rangers, the process has finally begun in Vancouver. The release date has jumped a bit from this July to next January, but the last known official release date is March 24, 2017. Time will tell if that changes while we wait to see how the current crop of newcomers impresses us as many a fans' Tokusatsu favorite.

Director and action legend Sammo Hung aims to make fools of no one on April 1. His newest film has since changed only in-name in recent weeks to My Beloved Bodyguard and still boasts a worthwhile package to feed hungry fans of martial arts with Hung front and center.

It's been awhile since we've heard from filmmaker Robin Schmidt who's stirred things up a bit in the festivals with his most recent award-winning action short, Dog. The film isn't online in full just yet but you can watch it now at the official website a la Vimeo provided you contact Schmidt for the password.

February was lively for the folks over at internatioanal sales outlet Independent who represented director Thomas Napper's forthcoming boxing drama, Jawbone. Vertigo Films will be distributing the film in the UK as of a few weeks ago and word has it that the film has officially commenced production with scenes to be filmed in Stoke and London as of Monday, February 29 as per the previous announcement.

With the outrage that has been sparked this past year with #OscarSoWhite and the lack of diversity in Hollywood. We would hope that studios would realize their mistakes and welcome ethnic actors with open arms. However, there is something about the word diversity that people do not readily associate with in Hollywood. As an Asian American actor, ex-dancer, and writer, my over half-a-decade in this industry has taught me that the word "diversity" generally only meant black and/or hispanic, and Asian Americans are not really included in that definition. It's a sad truth to realize when you have such hopes that you would be able to represent your race in the Hollywood industry, yet you never really have the chance to because the roles are so lacking that you're left wondering why.

Director Mitsutake Kurando wagers some of his best and most outstanding vision for a film, and anyone who's seen his most recent work, Gun Woman, knows this. Since, then he's got quite a feat happening with his latest production, Karate Kill, debuting actor Hayate in the role of a mysterious man who paves a warpath on the streets of L.A. in search of his missing sister.

I'm pretty new to Eddie Peng, having only seen him in Stephen Fung's Tai Chi Zero and Tai Chi Hero at the time of the release. However, in the few years since then, he's appeared to be just the kind versatile actor a director looks for, and maybe even one bold enough to take the lead in the revival of a classic martial arts film mainstay. Leave that effort to director Roy Chow Hin-Yeung whose career compass following Murderer (2009) and Nightfall (2012) now bring him to the forefront of his latest 2014 kung fu epic, Rise Of The Legend, reviving the folklore of martial arts hero Wong Fei Hung with an origin tale that does the work that none of its previous films did, lending plenty of opportunity for something truly fresh to bloom.

As the 1990's drew huge fervor in Western audiences for Hong Kong cinema with Jackie Chan and Jet Li crossovers, director Ang Lee helped pave the way for Asian cinema ina fashion hugely rewarding. The award-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, released in 2000, achieves some of the highest marks in wuxia filmmaking with a story that brilliantly taps into its source material with a sense of substance and quality that bookmarks it as one of the most memorable movies in history. Surely, the film mingles differently among moviegoers as do all, but the majority on this one is quite certain with Lee's signature vision setting a visible standard in artful storytelling and drama based on Chinese folklore.

Action films each have their own fair share of hurdles, and sometimes those dynamics can vary to regional circumstances. So, taking Vietnam to consideration, I always look forward to what comes out from this country with its talent on hand, particularly here with the case of filmmaker Cuong Ngo who is no stranger to the genre.

I dig actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar in any dimension beyond his old teen comedy roots. Performances in shows like Weeds and NYPD Blue have earned him my respect and just as so with director Max Adams's latest, Precious Cargo, pitting Gosselaar against Bruce Willis with actress Claire Forlani also starring.

Television buffs and action fans alike would be wise to appeal to Cinemax's fourth and final season of the hit series, Banshee. The show has gone strong since the top of 2013, and for good godamn reason at that with a sprawling and layered tale of mistaken identity, romance, crime and vengeance.

National Geographic's 2008 piece, Inside The Human Body, proved worthwhile for Emmy award-winning VFX craftsman, Steven Gomez. His newest venture into writing and directing now takes his skillset even further with the new sci-fi thriller, Kill Command, and its latest trailer is proof positive of what he seems capable of.

The kind folks over at Arrow Video have been doing quite good by their viewership in the last several months, specifically toward fans of classic ninja cinema with Kosugi Sho classics, Pray For Death and next month's Blu-Ray release, Rage Of Honor. The late Gordon Hessler, who directed both titles, was to follow up with Sho for a fourth film reunion before Hessler passed away in 2014, and now it appears things may have taken a turn upward since.

The current run up to Netflix's second season premiere of Marvel's Daredevil has been nothing short of exciting. The first season was a pure blast and now things are about to get piping hot in Hell's Kitchen with actor Charlie Cox and newly added actress Elodie Yung portraying fellow Marvel anti-heroine, Elektra.

That fans still have an interest in seeing Yuen Woo-Ping's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny on IMAX is an interesting thing to bare in mind, even as The Weinstein Company is rolling back its theatrical locations in most areas around the U.S.. That said, there are still people who don't have Netflix and probably won't be able to partake in the fandom right away as soon as those who do, but hopefully that will change.

Universal Pictures is releasing the action comedy sequel, Ride Along 2 on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD in April and they're announcing all the specs this week you can view below along with a trailer for its home release. I haven't seen the second one yet so I can't give my opinion on it just yet, but I enjoyed the first one in 2014 and the campaign to promote this one has been fully hilarious.

Without a shadow of a doubt, perhaps the biggest factor in director D.J. Caruso's latest, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, will be the diversity and overall caliber of its cast. It's generally what makes a Vin Diesel feature film so warm and welcoming on top of the virtual day-to-day upkeep of videos and photos the actor shares on his fanpage, and there's no question either that similar practices by co-stars Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa are doing the same considering the amount of followers they each have on social media, starpower notwithstanding.

Anime fans neck deep into Netflix's anime dish now has another serving on the way with the new original series, Perfect Bones. Parterning the SVoD company with animation studio Production I.G. and successful animator and character designer Nakazawa Kazuto, the new show will be the first to debut in all current territories where Netflix is available following its expansion back in January, and judging by the plot it sounds like it'll be a fun 12-episode ride.

There's no director or writer attached, but THR is reporting that MGM is preparing to remake another classic title now with a reworking of The Thomas Crown Affair. What's more is that the studio's latest prospect, Creed star Michael B. Jordan is tapped to lead the film based on the 1968 hesit flick from director Norman Lewison.

Roughly over three weeks remain for the second season of Marvel series, Daredevil and a slew of character posters and cinemagraphs have been rolling out ever since. The latter has just been updated with its roster complete with animation featuring actor Charlie Cox in the title role followed by, Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll, Jon Bernthal debuting as Punisher and newly added Elodie Yung kicking around the badies in a new look as Elektra.

Those of you still waiting to see Zombieland 2 will be happy to know that all isn't lost for its development at Sony, and Indiewire has more on that. As for its plot, nothing is known yet and you can only ask its writer Dave Callaham who has otherwise been keeping busy with his currently-brewing TV debut as of the last few years.

Sequel expectations for dorector Guillermo del Toro's 2013 sci-fi monster epic, Pacific Rim, have been somewhat of a rollercoaster. The film generally didn't do well enough to greenlight a follow-up right away, but it ultimately earned a cult following from fans who've simply wanted to see more.

Actress Kate Beckinsale is back in the fray with her forthcoming return to action horror territory with Anna Forrester's directorial debut, Underworld: Next Generation. Fans alike in and around the area of Salt Lake City in Utah would be wise to remember this ahead of attending FanX this year on March 24 through 26 where The Aviator and Van Helsing co-star will be joining in on the fun a la Salt Lake Comic Con.

With everyone hung up on actor Ryan Reynolds's then-forthcoming lead role in 20th Century Fox's Deadpool, in its good graces awaited further news on one other project, Kick-Aas 2 director Jeff Wadlow's Hitman's Bodyguard. Such a project is befitting for Reynolds in the wake of his latest success with Deadpool which maintained its number one spot for two weeks in a row.

Good stories and good acting are key to making any film or TV show notable and watchable. The same goes for action movies, and in that respect, even greater action and stunt work is what's required to sell an action product. Without it, most of our habits wouldn't exist today.

Yuen Woo-Ping's earlier ties to films like Zu Warriors: Dawn Of Darkness and Vigilantes may still be stuck on the shelf, but his latest advancement with fellow auteur, Tsui Hark, remains in bloom. As of last November, the two are presently set to remake Yuen's own 1982 kung fu comedy classic, Miracle Fighters, remastering the Qing dynasty-set tale of two elderly, quarreling Taoist priests who lend their kung fu training to a young man mistaken to be the crown prince of the Imperial court.

Onto some crazy new promotional bits, and up first are a few updates with a neat little exclusive pictoral courtesy of filmmaker Logan Cross. The photos are locations that will be used come this May when production finally commences for the new feature-length superhero action adventure, Nightshadow.
If you're not too familiar with its roots, you can click here to learn more about the project which initially launched via Kickstarter which successfully managed to achieve iys crowdfunding goals for specifi…

If you've been keen on 360° videos as of late, you might have already come to know of Jaunt, who've been head-deep into creating the technology possible to help create videos that literally stick you in a virtual world. As of today, leave that effort to director Doug Liman whose name can be seen in this week's announcement for Invisible, a new VR action adventure fantasy series that will undoubtely have you making sure your room space is clear for movement.

If there were ever a doubt that a proper find for the role of a younger "Bryan Mills" lead for a Taken prequel series would be likely, you can quell your worries now. Actor Clive Standen, best know for his role in the currently-running History channel series, Vikings, will be the man leading point for the new NBC action drama inspired by the hit film franchise that starred Liam Neeson.

Are you ready for more epic battles with balls in faces? Manga creator Ando Keishu's 1993 work, Hentai Kamen spawned a live-action feat in 2013 that sure pushed the envelope some with actor Suzuki Ryohei in the title role, and clearly there's been demand for a sequel.

With Ben Affleck positioning himself for more Batman movies, Henry Cavill maintaining his Superman shape and Gal Gadot finishing up her Wonder Woman shoot for next year, EW reports the next phase is set to commence on April 11 with the start of Justice League: Part One. The film is currently stamped for a November 17, 2017 date following the release of Wonder Woman from director Patty Jenkins earlier on June 23.

A little over a year ago, comic book creator Ma Wing-Shing took to a more different approach in unveiling the finale to his 25-year old wuxia franchise, The Storm Riders. It was a mark of achievement for the auteur as much as it was a strategical move in the wake of piracy's stronghold over digital and print media, although with any luck, this won't be all we hear of its film counter parts.

Spend enough time on social media browsing posts about ninjas and movies and you're bound to come across posts regarding... well, ninja movies. It's a subgenre that still generates fervor among martial arts fans today, and even enough to garner interest in aspiring film professionals these days.

Acclaimed director Ochiai Ken's latest, Ninja The Monster is finally on deck for a release in Japan this weekend after circulating film festivals for the past year. As such, a new trailer surfaced and you can check it out below featuring actor Dean Fujioka and Morikawa Aoi leading the fantasy tale.

Courtesy of Sanzhar Madyiev
Superhero movie fans as of late have been keen on some leaked footage from events over at the European Film Market for a movie long in the making, and one that's sure to garner more interest over time. Formely known as Guardians, the film in question is Guardians: Soviet Union Superheroes from American Heist helmer Saric Andreasyan with a script by Andrei Gavrilov, and comes at a time no better than now as staples like Marvel and DC already have their feet dug in alongside other properties like Valiant, Vertigo and Icon.

Sources close to Den Of Geek are confirming that 20th Century Fox is officially on board with an R-rating for the third installation of their X-Men spinoff trilogy featuring Hugh Jackman as Logan Howlett, a.k.a. Wolverine. The report cites that the studio had actually been planning an R-rated bow out long before director Tim Miller's latest, Deadpool, arose with its violent R-rated fanfare in the wake of fans' decade-long demands for a film true to the source material.

Save for a bad hairdo, actor John Travolta looks pretty doable here in Chuck Russell's latest, I Am Wrath. The film took a few years to develop before finally rolling cameras last year with locations in Alabama and several in Ohio, including Columbus where fans aplenty got a few selfie opportunities of their own.

So, how do you feel about the idea of Rush Hour trilogy helmer Brett Ratner remaking a kung fu classic like Cheng Chang-ho's 1972 flick, Five Fingers Of Death a.k.a. King Boxer? Word has it that he's on board to direct the film as well as produce with partner James Packer under their RatPac banner with the assistance of Celestial Pictures who currently have the rights to the entire Shaw Brothers library.

Director Scott Cooper and actor Christian Bale have gone on to gain quite a bit of notoriety after working together on the gritty 2013 drama, Out Of The Furnace. Cooper made waves with Johnny Depp-starrer, Black Mass while Bale received an Oscar nod Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2015 financial crisis drama, The Big Short.

Actor Fujioka Hiroshi is back again this season in lieu of his forthcoming commemorative performance in Toei's upcoming tokusatsu feature, Kamen Rider 1. The iconic franchise, which spawned from its TV roots in 1971, turns 45 next month upon the film release on March 26 from director Kaneda Osamu.

Actor Keanu Reeves surged enormously into prominence with his performance in the 2014 action noir hit, John Wick. The film has since drawn a cult following as well as helped advance prospects for Hollywood stunt coordinators to take the helm on action pictures - namely Chad Stahelski and David Leitch who directed the first film.

It was Spartacus and Arrow series co-star, actor Manu Bennett who made the announcement earlier this month that he would be overseas starring in a new Death Race movie with Universal Pictures and producer Roger Corman also involved. Details were scant at the time aside from that the film would revise the 1975 original apart from the current direct-to-video franchise already in tow with a fourth film, but now we have an official announcement from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment that sets things a bit clearer - cast, crew, plot, the works:

Not having seen director Denis Villeneuve's crime epic, Sicario at the time, I didn't really know what to expect from his take on the forthcoming sequel to Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi noir, Blade Runner with Villenueve in the chair. That said, I actually got to see Sicario last month on VOD, and the hype is definitely there with an immersive story and script, and performances that hit all the right notes telling me virtually everything I needed to know about the kind of quality film you can expect with Villeneuve at the helm.

I haven't been keen on director Brad Peyton's San Andreas yet, but I'm a little thrown off at the idea of destroying the same city for its sequel. Thankfully the direction here is far different with word that yes, surprisingly, that New Line is back in action with development of a follow-up to last year's hit with Neil Widener and Gavin James providing the script.

A final trailer has arrived for the February 26 U.S. release of Yuen Woo-Ping's latest, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny. Michelle Yeoh leads the way with newcomer and actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and actors Harry Shum Jr., action star Donnie Yen and actor Jason Scott Lee with John Fusco adapting the fifth entry into the late Wang Du'lu's classic Iron/Crane Pentalogy.

In an update since last November's news of a female-led Van Helsing for Syfy, actress Kelly Overton (Tekken, HBO series True Blood, TNT series Legends) is being reported as the chosen lead. Overton, who shared the following artwork on Twitter on Wednesday, joins a slate of other names among the cast just announced today for the production ahead of its start on February 22 in Vancouver, B.C. in Canada.

I feel good. Why? Because I like posters, and Paramount Pictures has officially debuted a quartet of character posters and cinemagraphs for the upcoming action sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Out Of The Shadows. With director Dave Green, we're also getting some new faces added to the mix, including characters like outlaw Casey Jones (Stephen Amell), Dr. Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) along with the villanous Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Sheamus) and the emergence of a talking stomach brain named Krang, opening a whole new dimension to the live action CG hybrid that fans have been clammoring for for almost three decades.

A little over a year ago today, it was made official that Osamu Tezuka's manga and anime classic, Astro Boy, would finally be on deck for a live-action feature of its own. Now the project is in full speed at New Line Cinema according to a new report from THR with word that San Andreas scribes Andrea Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore will pen the script.

Most Read Articles Of The Week

Right about now you're waiting news over any and all pertaining to Chad Stahelski's John Wick: Chapter Three which is still in production. This week, some of the best news to arise now sees word that Tiger Chen, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman have all joined the production starring opposite Keanu Reeves who returns to star.
A few photos have gone viral in recent weeks seeing Chen merely hinting a presence on set but this latest update is official. The three are said to play opposite Keanu Reeves according news over at The Hollywood Reporter with Chen back on set following a starring role in the 2014 kung fu spiritual drama, Man Of Tai Chi.
It's an update worth noting as it hopefully sets up for a larger Hollywood screen presence for all three martial arts stars who've seen their rise in all of the last nine years collectively, including that of Chen whose friendship dates back to production on The Matrix trilogy. Ruhian and Rahman have been earning their claim to…

Well this is spiffy. Who Taffy Edwards is remains a mystery while said individual sits in the directors chair for upcoming independent crime pic, English Dogs. The film is set to arrive sometime this year and has Time Rush actors Byron Gibson (Only God Forgives) and martial arts sensation, action actor Ron Smoorenberg (Asura) leading the cast.
Plot details are nil as things stand, save for what we can extrapolate from the official trailer that premiered on Wednesday in addition to the film's doughty tagline: "There are 340 breeds of Dogs on the Planet but there can only be one Alpha". And that's about all we got to work with along with what the trailer offers in its ambitious British gangster tropes with Thailand as the backdrop, and watching Gibson throwdown along with shots of Smoorenberg in his element on top of chewing some scenery as a crimeboss, which is always welcome.
Check out the trailer below!

The last few years have seen the wheels turn quite a bit for director Jesse Haaja who made history in debuting Finland's first comic book superhero movie, Rendel. Nowadays he's developing other properties including Furrow, but that doesn't necessarily count out prospects for a sequel while genre specialist Raven Banner has anything to say for it.
Such is what includes Jeremy Kay's Screen International report this weekend with word that sales on a sequel to the Finnish superhero hit film have launched at the Cannes market. Producers at Black Lion Pictures and Frozen Flame Pictures are planning an early 2019 shoot on Rendel 2 which has Haaja returning to the helm to follow up the story of a family man previously resurrected from near-death with a brutal, masked alterego to seek revenge in the name of a city crying out for justice against a criminal organization and their pharmaceutical cohorts. “I can’t even describe how excited I am for this,” Haaja said of the ongoing s…

An exasperating wait, no less, for folks like myself who live in the U.S.. Still, it's nice to know that a Blu-Ray/Digital HD release of the new tournament martial arts thriller, Boyka: Undisputed, is well on its way with an August release, while it's even nicer to know that the film's star, actor and martial artist Scott Adkins wants to do a fifth.
He says so at around the 11:40 mark in his latest interview now online following his recent appearance at MCM Expo in London this week to discuss the role and the film as a whole - And not for nothing either as he continues to pound away at fans who enjoy his movies, but insist on stealing them online which will otherwise kill any chance of the film happening before 2030 if we're lucky (my words, not his).
Adkins also shares several new images from his latest, Accident Man, and some gems on Michael Cuesta's American Assassin, working with Tony Jaa on the recently-wrapped ensemble action thriller, Triple Threat, and muc…

With weeks away before cameras roll for upcoming martial arts mobster comedy, Made In Chinatown, we can report that the production will pair director Art Camacho with producer Robert Samuels who will also share the helm as co-director. The news comes roughly one week since Camacho's arrival to the director's chair after replacing another filmmaker who was already attached as the film underwent several months of development.
Camacho and Samuels will direct from a script by executive producer and author Mark V. Wiley that centers on Vinny, a hapless Chinatown resident who, with the help of his sifu and a select few good friends, works to assimilate himself into Italian mob life and gain top-tier status whilst in pursuit of the girl of his dreams. The independent New York City-set action comedy production lands stuntman, world-class wushu stylist and champion Gold medalist, actor Alfred Hsing (Ready Player One, Ip Man 3, Birth Of The Dragon) his first major acting role.
Hungry …

I myself couldn't really get past some of the fan-service that culminates all seemingly ado with the current Kickboxer franchise following the reboot in 2016. I suppose the best part is that Dmitri Logothetis has found a direction to take it in, onward from Vengeance through Redemption and now with the third, Kickboxer: Armageddon. And indeed, that's Alain Moussi in the footage donning a whole new Kurt Sloan we haven't seen before. Brand new look and all!
Other details are officially pending but Logothetis himself has mentioned the possible return of Mike Tyson, Ronadinho and Christopher Lambert in addition to George St. Pierre and other UFC and sports favorites...and Snoop Dogg for some reason? He's also presented a brand new teaser to help stir the fandom some, so check it out anf expect more Kickboxer news onward through 2019.

The May 17, 2019 release of John Wick: Chapter Three pretty much has everyone engaged losing their collective skulls at the moment. Production is already underway and confirming previous rumors of late is actress Halle Berry asserting her place in the cast.
Thus, she'll be joining in with a lot for the film's returning cast members, in addition to a wave of new names totaling actors Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick all reprising their roles, and with actresses Asia Kate Dillon and Anjelica Huston, and actors Mark Dacascos and Jason Mantzoukas to the cast.
The production has released cast cards with the roles all respective to the performers listed for whom Chad Stahelski will direct for Lionsgate for the production's remaining duration. Check it all out below and stay tuned, because I'm ready for more surprises! JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM Cast

Events at Cannes have been a turning point for some film fans highly keen on all things ado with action star, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Having made a splash this year with buzz for the launch of his Rodin Entertainment sales banner and announcing another slate of film prospects, his latest offering now brings us a pulsating look at Braqueurs helmer Julien Leclerq's new thriller, Lukas, otherwise hailed in our territories as The Bouncer.Lukas, a nightclub bouncer in his fifties who's taken punches, literally and figuratively, struggles to raise his 8 year old daughter. One day, Lukas loses control during an altercation with a client and ends up in jail, while his daughter gets placed under the care of social services. But things take an unexpected turn when Interpol recruits Lukas to bring down a Dutch ringleader operating from Belgium in exchange for his daughter's custody.
The first official teaser and accommodation poster have both arrived and very befitting with one anoth…

About five years ago I managed to interview stuntwoman, actress and producer Michelle Jubilee Gonzalez. It was through her I managed to build a rapport with several other veterans and up-and-comers in the industry whilst getting an angle going on covering the stunt field and it was a privelege to be able to exchange with her than as it still is now from time to time.

She's a talented singer as well - a fact that I was reminded of clean and clear when last year, I managed to screen one of her most recent short film appearances, Pimpkillah, courtesy of filmmaker and comic book creator Sarah Bitely. I think it quite surprised Michelle and that was sort of the feeling I got when I commented on one of her posts at the time.

Alas, the shortfilm has since gone public, marking a significant milestone for the budding filmmaker and comic book creator who moved from her hometown on the outskirts of DC/Baltimore in Maryland to Los Angeles, California in 2010. Her coming out party has assuredly …

Saban Films has kept its own market waiting long enough it seems and thus, the official trailer went live for Pasha Patriki's latest, Black Water, hailing a fifth pairing for action star duo Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. The film is written by Chad Law with a story that centers on a deep cover operative who awakens, imprisoned in the confines of a CIA black site on a submarine and forced in a race against the clock to search for answers amidst a daring escape.Action-movie icons Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren deliver a double shot of adrenaline-fueled excitement in this heartpounding undersea thriller. After a failed mission, deep-cover operative Wheeler (Van Damme) is imprisoned in a CIA black site on a submarine. The CIA agents will to go to any lengths to get information from Wheeler—but nothing can prepare them for the storm of violence that erupts when he joins forces with a fellow prisoner (Lundgren) as deadly as he is mysterious. Black Water opens throu…